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Topic : 07/31 "Get Rid of It!"

Number of Replies: 190

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Created on : Friday, January 25, 2008, 01:19:15 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

(Original Air Date: 01/30/08) Is there something you’ve been hanging on to for just a little too long? Clothes you haven’t fit into since high school? Boxes of stuff you haven’t looked at in years? Dr. Phil’s guests say their loved ones need to call the junk yard and “Get rid of it!” Kim says her husband, Paul’s, Star Wars hobby has to go. With over 6,000 pieces in his collection, Paul spends 30 hours a week playing with his action figures, building models and talking to friends about Star Wars. He even included light sabers in their wedding, so shouldn’t Kim have known what she was getting into? Next, Larry and Sheila married four months ago, but Sheila says she had no idea she was getting hitched to a hoarder. Larry says she’s got it all wrong –- she’s the pack rat! With some of their favorite collections rolled out on stage, can Dr. Phil help them negotiate what goes and what stays? Plus, meet Terri, who has four storage units and two garages full of sentimental memories –- like a rubber chicken and her father’s X-rays! She spends so much money storing her stuff that she can’t even afford health insurance. What’s at the heart of her hoarding? Tell us what you think!

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Hoarder How To's

I feel like the man who has the Star Wars collection needs to open a museum by renting a local store front and allowing children and adults alike who just love Star Wars to tour his establishment. That would open up space in his home while protecting his stuff and also make money while inspiring and delighting otheres. He could even have a cafe that is Star Wars Themed. Not many people have that much stuff from such a popular movie, or era. I remember a kid in 8th grade who wore his Star Wars costume to school every Friday. Everyone thought he was wierd, but he was so into it, he claimed to have seen the movie 57 times and was faithful to wearing the costume. I think it would be a loss if this man completely parted with his stuff. Please Don't - I know my kids would love to see your collection, and if you would put it up for public viewing, I also know you would help me out because my kids would not need to purchase that stuff either, in fact I could donate their Star Wars stuff to your museum, and if you already had one, you could list also run a thrift store of Star Wars paraphanalia, and use the money toward the Museum Expenses. You could even have a planetarium and eventually include rides and an arcade, even a theatre where Star Wars movies are played full time.

Bottom Line? This man is giving up a potential big business by parting with his stuff. I say keep it, but make it work FOR you - I think that keeping the Star Wars stuff is a definite "win-win" situation! I thnk the other hoarders need to consider the same thing for their beloved stuff. If it is really that valuable, why not share it with others, at least in a museum.

poor people save everything.

I have been married for 19 years to a man who collects everything. I used to get to throw things out once a year when he went to Bike Week Florida. I would take huge garbage bags and throw all kind of things away. This is a man who has saved all his drivers licenses and registrations of every car he has owned. He is 61 years old. I am hoping to get some ideas from Dr. Phil's show on Wednesday.

The depression is over saving things like you don't know where the next dollar is coming from is only making more work. More to dust etc... There is a thing called Clutterers Anonymous. The fist step is to take everything in the room that is worth less than $5.00 and take out, put it in a box, (don't throw the box away yet) Now take a look at the room and check it out to see if it looks better. Then go from there. Bring the wanted items to a church for their yard sale. Salvation Army helps people with thier profits too. Long Beach,CA

so-called collectors

Why anyone would stay married, or marry in the first place, to someone this POSSESSED is beyond me. It's beyond stupid, and he's just using this tacky collection as an excuse to distance himself from his wife. If she can't see that, she's not any smarter than he is. As far as the other "collections" go, it's not about honoring anyone's memory. If that were the case, the stuff wouldn't be in storage. It would be in a place of honor...which the bottom of a nasty box is NOT! These people are just too lazy and ignorant to do anything about their garbage, and are using "but it's a memory" as an excuse. Dr. Phil missed the boat here...tell them they're lazy, self-absorbed, emotionally empty and just plain ignorant. Stop tip-toeing around these freaks Dr. Phil. You're not helping them with anything but their need to get on TV and share their stupidity with the world.

07/31 "Get Rid of It!"

Hoarding is a mental disorder. Plain and simple....and it's progressive. I was married to a hoarder who was NOT like that when we first met and married, (or I NEVER would have married him), but as his illness progressed, his hoarding became a total nightmare and the source of many arguments.

I couldn't take it anymore. That was not the total reason I left...he was also an alcoholic and I refused to allow my children to be subjected to that mess. But it sure added to the chaos.

Bottom line is this: life is too short to live in hell. Get psychiatric help, do something about the problem, or else shut up and live with it.....your choice.

Larry got a raw deal

Somehow Dr Phil didn't seem to be playing fair here. I would have expected him to have both of them getting rid of things, even if it was 2:1, 3:1, or even more that Larry had to get rid of to his wifes one sacrafice. Simply because he had more then she did it's assumed that he should be the one to lose his stuff. Or could it be because Larry's stuff had value and usefulness, and thus was easy to get rid of or even sell. Her stuff might be valuable to the right person, but in general it had NO practical value, only asthetic value.

Is this s a sexist issue based on the tradition that the woman controls the house, and if he's lucky the guy gets the garage? I think she wants the garage too though. Both of them have been divorced, but it doesn't say how long it was between marraiges, unless I missed it. While the home may typically be the woman's domain, in cases where the man has been a bachelor for a long time he has taken possession of his home and will value it just as much as the woman.

I admit that this is a guys perspective, but darn there were very few things she brought to the table that had any practical use. I think they both have to get rid of things here and the amount of stuff they both have is rediculous, but it shouldn't be just Larry. Larry needs to have his own yard sale with some of her stuff, it's only fair!

Disclaimer: I am a bachelor and have been one most of my adult life. Women say I'm not trainable. Take my advice at your own risk guys!

Advice from a hoarder for terri

KEEP THE RUBBER CHICKEN!!! I really understand hanging on to junk because of memories of loved ones who have passed. I lost my dad and sis, and my mom has advanced dementia. I have been going thru this process of unloading much junk that meant something to them. Its hard! But in the end this stuff becomes a burden. If you get rid of the lessor junk, the remaining stuff will become true treasure. Remember that when you give stuff to a charity, you give twice. You help a charity and you help a person of modest means who got that treasure at a great price. One "problem", beware of blessings. Its seems the more I give away, the more I get back!

Clean Up

I wonder if people think ahead when accumulating "stuff". It was a wake up call for me and my sister when our unmarried aunt suddenly passed away and left us a house full of "collections". There was so much stuff, we were three months cleaning out before being able to sell. The first weekend we took 75 of those big industrial garbage bags full to the dump. There were bureaus full of various sizes and shapes of light bulbs, bags of things purchased and never used piled in one room. We had to pry and push to get the door open. There were closets full of clothes and coats that were so full of dust, we needed dust masks. The canned goods were years out of date. Think about us left behind to clean up. Since going through this, I have been giving family heirlooms to my children - anything anybody doesn't want goes to charity or the garbage. I do believe one experience like ours would cure the most ardent hoarder! Thank you for doing this program!

07/31 "Get Rid of It!"

Good Lord. The older couple needs to burn down their house and start over. That house is full of tacky mess. The man is a pack rat, yes, but the wife has NO taste. Sorry. She doesn't. Fake plants, dress-up ducks, little trinkets, worthless things that are not cute. The Barbie dolls can't be worth much. It's just little girl things. What man would want to live among that?

I promised my husband when we married that he could have his one room for himself. It's cluttered but I don't go in there; it's his space. And I don't force him to live with childish knickknacks.

Who's the hoarder??

I simply don't see why these people are out of control! I mean, yes, I collect things but they do not interfere with my husbands' space, nor his mine. We have learned over 40 years that each person needs to have their own 'hobby' or 'clutter' or whatever you want to call it. Mine happens to be sewing and crafts, I have a 'work-room' where I do these things. His happens to be fishing and camping (which I also enjoy) It never ceases to amaze me to see the petty things that people put an importance on. If it meant that I had to give up my 'work-room' to have peace in our home, I would gladly do so. For many years as the children grew up I didn't have one... it's not something I HAVE to have! My husband has footlockers full of fishing gear, and poles that could fill a truck, but they are HIS and I respect the fact that he likes these things. There are just such more important things to 'obsess' about. I'd rather cuddle with my hubby than sit in my work-room alone, and he'd rather have me beside him when he fishes and camps rather than being alone. It's called love, companionship, compromise..... what is it with these people?????

We're Not Boring

Being with his wife is boring? I doubt that it has occurred to him how boring he makes life for his wife. My husband's response to that "boring" comment -- being with ME makes his life more fun and interesting. Ditto for me, honey. Maybe that's why we do nearly everything together.

Seems that it's just easier for him to hide in his fantasy world than relate to real people. Life would be more interesting to him if he made room for someone other than himself. Suppose his wife saw this before she married him but thought he would change for her?